The World Cup Records Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe Can Break

In less than 24 hours, the 23rd FIFA World Cup will kick off in North America when Mexico host South Africa in a repeat of the opening game of the 2010 tournament. If you want to be on top of the schedule for every Real Madrid player, you can click here.  

One of the Los Blancos players at the tournament will be Kylian Mbappe, who is set to play in his third World Cup finals at just 27 years of age. In his first two tournaments, he scored 12 goals, including four in finals, and has a winners medal. 

Nevertheless, it feels like there is pressure on the forward, after two disappointing Euros campaigns, where his sole strike came from the penalty spot, and a lack of silverware at club level since joining Real Madrid. Still, you can't argue with his phenomenal World Cup record to date. 

Owing to such a good record on the world stage, Mbappe is on the brink of breaking - or at least equalling - a number of longstanding records this summer. Let's have a look at what he is aiming for on an individual level this summer. With thanks to Squawka for the data provided here.

To begin, if he scores twice, he will break Just Fontaine's record of 13 goals for France at World Cups. Amazingly, Fontaine did so in just one tournament. If he breaks this record, he will simultaneously break Olivier Giroud's record as France's all time top scorer, who currently has 57 goals for Les Blues. 

Meanwhile, if Mbappe scores five times this tournament, he will break Miroslav Klose's record of being the World Cup's all time top goalscorer, with the German on 16 goals. There is the possibility that France showdown with Germany in the round of 16. Coincidentally, Klose took the record from Ronaldo Nazario in a game (yes, that one) against Brazil. Could history repeat itself and Mbappe take the record from Klose in a game against Germany?

Seems hard, considering the hypothetical round of 16 tie would only be the fifth game of the tournament, and France are in a group with Senegal and Norway. However, the game against Iraq could seriously help in that regard, with all due respect to them. 

Finally, if Mbappe scores in the final, he would be the first player to score in three different World Cup finals. Not even the great Pele, who won the tournament three times, was able to do that, having missed the 1962 final with injury. Which is a good segway to the fact that the Real Madrid number ten would be only the second player after Cafu to feature in three finals.